Angel & Company
by sumerjoy11
Summary: After escaping from a pet store, Angel ends up on the streets of New York City. She bumps into Dodger, a street wise dog. What first starts out as a conflict between the two blossoms into a romance.
1. Angel

**This is how I imagine Dodger and Angel meeting. Enjoy! Also, please, NO BAD COMMENTS!**

The story starts on a sunny day in New York City at a pet store.

A man is trying to put a dog into a dog cage, but she will not cooperate. The dog's name is Angel. She's just been transferred to a new pet store.

Angel is a beautiful dog with cream colored fur, a beautiful puffy tail, and purple eyes.

Why would no one buy her?

The reason is because Angel doesn't want to be bought. Every time someone would try to pet her, she would try to bite them. She also doesn't trust humans. Angel knows she'll be stuck in a small cage with little food and people would all point at her and stare at her. Of course, she does not want to deal with this again. She bites the hand of the man and runs full speed out the open door.

Angel can hear the man shouting for her to come back, but that's the last thing she wants to do. Instead, she keeps on running. She finally stops and gets a good look around her. Angel knows she's really far from the pet store. In fact, she thinks she ran all the way to the other side of the city. After all that running, Angel knows she needs food. She spots a man pushing a hot dog cart.

Perfect.


	2. Meeting

On the other side of the road, a male dog is walking on the sidewalk. He has white fur, gray fur on his paws, brown fur on his ears, light brown fur on his face, has a brown spot on his back, and is wearing a red bandana. He spots a lady approaching him with her dog, which is a girl. The male dog stops and jumps onto a parked taxi.

The lady and her dog stop and wait till they are able to walk across the street.

"Psst."

The woman's dog looks behind her and sees the male dog smirking at her. He puckers his lips at her.

"Hi ya."

The female dog glares at him and walks away with her master.

The male dog makes fun of the girl dog's reaction.

"Oooo lala!"

The male begins to hear yelling across the street. He looks and sees a little female cream colored dog biting a man's leg. The looks this girl has seem to intoxicate him.

He notices her eyes.

Purple?

He never saw anyone with purple eyes before. This girl seems to look like an angel. The male feels he has to get to know this _angel_.

"Well well, looks like Louie's got a visitor. Could be time for the Dodge to spice things up a little."

The dog jumps off the taxi and makes his way over across the street.

The man kicks Angel off of him and she lands inside of an open garbage can.

"Ooo, you sure picked the wrong guy to take hot dogs from."

Angel looks to her right and sees a white male dog sitting on top of a garbage can, smirking at her.

"Get away from me!"

"Whoa chill out, cutie. I'm a nice guy. I've been watchin' ya and I think you're in serious need of some professional guidance."

"I think I'll be fine on my own."

"Haven't been out in the city by yourself have ya?"

"Not really, but...who the heck are you?"

"The name's Dodger. Now, is your name as pretty as your face?"

The girl lets out a little smile.

"Angel."

"Wow, Angel? The name matches you perfectly."

"How?"

"Cause you look like an angel."

Angel smiles again but snaps out of it quickly.

"Will you stop with the flirting and just tell me what you want?"

"I think we should team up and change old Louie's mind about sharin' some of those hot dogs."

"I'm not going back there again."

"Hey, it'd be a snap. I'm an expert at these things. All you gotta do is learn some moves."

"Moves?"

"You know. Tempo. Ooo-cha-ba. A rhythm. This city's got a beat. You gotta hook into it. And once you got the beat, you can do anything."

"Really?"

"Absitively posolutely! The man you see before you is affectionately known as Old Louie, a well known enemy of the four legged world. Our mission, Ang, is to liberate those all-beef kosher franks, and hightail it outta here. Startin' to feel that rhythm?"

"Um..."

A man nearby uses a drill to dig into the ground, which causes the ground to shake. Thinking it's the rhythm Dodger was talking about, Angel excitedly tells him she feels it.

"I feel it! When are we gonna get those hot dogs?"

"Right now..."

Dodger starts barking and chases Angel over to Louie's cart. Angel accidentally bumps into Louie and he grabs her.

"Gotcha you little trouble maker! You're goin' to the pound!"

While Louie is distracted, Dodger grabs a bunch of hot dogs and wraps them around his neck. Angel looks at him worriedly as he walks away.

"What about me?"

Dodger looks back, winks, and then runs off. Angel bites Louie's arm and falls to the ground. Her one instinct is to chase after Dodger. It's not long until Angel ends up in a construction site. She spots Dodger walking a little bit ahead of her. She runs up behind him and growls at him.

"You lying, backstabbing little..."

"Ah Angel. I see you managed to get away."

"Yeah, no thanks to you. Now give me half of those."

"Hey, I only said I was gonna get the hot dogs. I didn't say anything about _sharin'_ them with ya."

"You better share them!"

"And what happens if I don't?"

Angel growls at him.

Dodger sheepishly smiles.

"I see your point. Gotta go!"

Before Angel can respond, Dodger runs off.

"**YOU GET BACK HERE! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!**"

Angel soon finds herself chasing Dodger throughout New York City.


	3. Discovering The Gang

Not too far away is Dodger's home, which is an old barge. Inside the barge is Tito, a Chihuahua with red hair, light fur, and a head band. Francis, a light colored Bulldog. Rita, a light brown Saluki with dark reddish brown hair and blue eye shadow. Last, but not least, Einstein, a gray Great Dane.

Tito is dancing to some music. Francis is watching TV while Einstein and Rita are sleeping.

Francis yells at Tito to turn off the music so he could watch his show.

"Hey, Frankie, whatcha watchin'? Hey, does he get the girl? I mean, what happens?"

"Shut up you little rodent!"

"Hey, man, this stuff is boring, man. Come on, let's watch some boxing. I wanna see some action."

Francis tries to hit Tito, but he misses.

"Hey, Frankie! Que paso? You're getting slow, man."

"My name is Francis. Fran-cis. Not Frank. Not Frankie. Francis."

"No kidding, man? Hey, so what did you bring in today, _Frahn-cees_?"

"It's none of your business, you intrusive little pipsqueak."

Einstein walks over, holding a broken tennis racket in his mouth.

"Look what I got!"

Francis says, "Oh, good show, Einstein. Now all we need is the court and the net."

"You think this place is big enough?"

Tito tries to show off his wallet, which is torn.

"Hey, come on. What we need is some good quality stuff, man. Check it out."

"Oh shredded leather."

"Shredded wha...? What you talkin' about, man? That's a primo wallet, man."

"Rubbish, you mean?"

"All right, that does it, Frankie, man! You insulted my pride! That means death!"

Rita wakes up and tells Frankie and Tito to cut it out. She then observes what everyone brought for their master, Fagin.

"Fagin's not gonna be too happy about this. So Francis, you got the food, right?"

"Well, no. I..."

"Frankie. It was your turn to get the food today."

"Hey whoa, whoa, cool it Dodger fans."

The gang of dogs look over to see Dodger standing in the doorway.

"I'd like to introduce you to, your dinner. Hot dogs a la Dodger."

Dodger picks up the hot dogs in his mouth and throws them over to his friends.

Rita asks, "So how'd you do it this time, Dodgie baby?"

"Let me tell you, Rita. It was tough. Only I could have done it."

Angel stands outside of the barge, looking through a hole on the roof.

"So that's why he wouldn't share? He needs to feed his buddies. Maybe he's not so bad after all."

Dodger begins telling his friends his _story_.

"Picture the city. Eighth and Broadway. The crowds hustling. The traffic roaring. The hot dogs are sizzling. Enter Dodger, one bad puppy. Not just out for himself, but community minded. But he's not the only one out there. Enter the opposition. A greedy, ugly, psychotic monster..."

Angel becomes offended.

"Ugly? That's the way he's gonna look when I'm done with him!"

Dodger continues his story, "She comes at me, eyes burning. I knew my time had come. Suddenly..."

A piece of the roof Angel is standing on breaks from underneath her. She falls into the room and a cover from the roof lands on her, hiding her completely. Every other dog in the room panics, not knowing who or what just fell through the roof.

After a few moments, Rita asks, "Well, what is it?"

Tito walks over to investigate.

"Hey man, check it out."

The figure under the cloth grabs Tito's nose.

"Aye it's an alien!"

The cover falls off and it's revealed that the figure is a dog, a girl dog.

Dodger peers from behind the chair he hid behind. He smiles and sighs while shaking his head. The girl is Angel, the very girl he was running from earlier.

Rita corners Angel against the wall.

"How'd you find this place?"

"I followed this dog..."

Tito yells, "She's lying! She's lying! She's lying! She's lying!"

Rita kicks Tito.

"Shut up Tito!"

Francis joins Rita.

"It seems to me this girl is a spy."

Angel begins to panic.

"No I'm not a spy! I just wanted some of the sausages I helped him get."

Tito says, "She's a spy, man! You're dead meat, chica!"

"He's over there! On the couch! Look!"

Everyone looks over to see Dodger sitting on the couch, wearing a pair of sunglasses.

"Hey cutie, what took you so long?"

Rita smiles and says, "Relax, hun."

She winks at Angel and walks over to Dodger. All of his friends laugh at him, while he tries to watch TV.

"Hey, keep it down guys. The game's on."

Tito says, "Oh, boy, Dodger. Top dog has to get help from a girl."

"Hey Tito, cool it man."

"Dodger needs help from a girl! Dodger needs help from a girl!"

"Hey Tito, look!"

Tito looks away then Dodger tackles him. Soon everyone, except Angel, is fighting. Angel hides inside a box when she sees a man enter the room.

"All right, knock it off! Enough! What's the matter with you guys? Don't you understand? Sykes will be here any minute and I don't have..."

The dogs all run towards their master and lick him.

Fagin had to borrow money from a loan shark named Sykes. The amount he borrowed was a large amount, large enough for Sykes to want repaid. The amount was also too large for Fagin to be able to pay back. Since then, Sykes has been after him for his money. Fagin has needed help from his dogs. They pit-pocket people and bring back their items to him.

Fagin hears a car horn honk and walks over to his box to see what his dogs brought him. He finds that all of it is junk.

"It's worthless! What have you done? Oh, how are we ever going to pay Sykes off with a..."

He places his hand in the box and begins searching through the box. Suddenly, he lifts Angel out of the box.

"A dog?"


	4. Roscoe & DeSoto

Suddenly, two Doberman dogs burst into the room.

Fagin laughs nervously.

"Oh, look who's here kids. Company. Nice doggies. I was just on my way out."

Fagin leaves the room with his box.

Dodger and his friends are seen glaring at the two Doberman dogs. One Doberman has a red collar and the other has a blue one. Both laugh evilly and smirk at the gang.

"You guys miss us?"

Angel peers from behind another box, nervously.

The Doberman with the red collar walks up to Rita.

"Rita."

Rita growls, "Roscoe."

"You're lookin' as fine as always."

"You're lookin' as _ugly_ as always."

"You know Rita, I can't figure out why you'd rather hang around a dump like this when you could be living uptown with a class act like myself."

The Doberman in the blue collar sniffs around and ends up picking up an unfamiliar scent. He walks over to where Angel is hiding.

Dodger looks on nervously.

Tito says, "Come on, you guys don't scare me. I'll kill you both."

Einstein grabs Tito's tail.

"Come on, let me at 'em!"

Roscoe says, "Go ahead, let him go."

Einstein replies, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

"Like you, ol' man?"

Dodger walks towards Roscoe.

"Hey Roscoe. Roscoe, is this us losing our sense of humor?"

"Nah, I ain't lost my sense of humor!"

Roscoe kicks the television onto the floor. Sparks fly everywhere.

"See? I find that funny."

He lets out a laugh.

The Doberman with the blue collar drags a newspaper on the floor, with Angel on it.

"Hey, hey, Roscoe! Look what I found."

"A new girl? Forget her, DeSoto, we gotta go."

DeSoto ignores Roscoe and turns to Angel.

"I'm gonna make you mine, cutie."

DeSoto licks his lips. He pulls her Angel towards him, but she manages to shove him off of her. Angel tries to run away from DeSoto, but he blocks her path.

"Where you goin', cutie pie? You're comin' home with me."

DeSoto corners Angel against a wall. She growls and scratches his nose with her nails. DeSoto howls in pain. Roscoe growls and runs to his side. Both Doberman dogs have Angel cornered against a wall. Angel starts growling at them, until Dodger protectively leaps in front of her.

Roscoe growls, "Get out of my way Dodger!"

Dodger angrily replies, "That's _enough_ Roscoe!"

The rest of the gang runs over to protect Angel. The Doberman dogs are about to attack until they hear their master honk the horn of his car.

"Run along Roscoe. Your master's calling," Rita says in a mocking tone.

The car horn honks again.

Roscoe rolls his eyes.

"Come on DeSoto! We ain't finished, Dodger. You guys are gonna pay for this. Starting with your little girlfriend."

Angel peers from behind Dodger, with a look of panic on her face. The two Doberman dogs leave as Tito screams at them.

"Oh, yeah? You guys don't scare me! Come on and say it to my face! Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!"

Angel stays frozen in her place, not because of what Roscoe said, but because of something else. She's surprised that Dodger protected her. Grateful, but surprised.

He protected her? After ditching her before?

Dodger places his paw on Angel's back, causing her to jump.

"You ok?"

"Yes. Thanks, by the way. I don't think I would've been able to take them on by myself."

"No problem. DeSoto didn't hurt ya, did he?"

"No. He probably would've if it weren't for you."

"Well you're safe now, that's all that matters."

Dodger smiles warmly at Angel before he walks away. Angel can't help but smile back.


	5. Bedtime

The sound of footsteps is heard coming down the stairs. The gang of dogs look over to see Fagin walk into the room.

He mutters, "Three days."

Fagin plops onto his chair. His dogs find it obvious that Fagin's meeting with Sykes did not turn out well. They all feel sorry for him, including Angel.

"How am I ever gonna come up with all that money? What's the use? I'll never get out from under that maniac. My days are numbered...and the number is three. It's hopeless."

Einstein pulls a blanket over Fagin and gives him a dog treat. Fagin eats the dog treat and smiles.

"Thanks guys."

All of his dogs smile and Einstein starts licking him.

Fagin laughs.

"That reminds me! I saw DeSoto's nose. Who did that?"

Dodger gently pushes Angel towards Fagin. He smiles and places Angel onto his lap.

Fagin says, "You? You? That took a lot of guts! We could use another girl in the gang."

Fagin strokes the top of Angel's head. At first, she's hesitant, but then she finally allows Fagin to pet her. So far, this is the first human she's ever allowed to pet her. Before Fagin can even think of going to sleep, Einstein pulls out a book for him to read. At first, Fagin says no to reading, but finally gives in when Einstein begins to whimper. He takes the book and opens to the last chapter he left off from. As he reads to his dogs, Angel looks over at Dodger. He smiles warmly at her and, once again, she can't help but smile back. Fagin stays up for most of the night reading to his dogs until he falls asleep. Everyone else, except Dodger, ends up falling asleep.

In the middle of the night, Angel wakes up when she hears someone pulling the light switch. She turns to see Dodger walking over to his bed. After making up his bed, he lies down and falls asleep. For some reason Angel can't help but stare. The way he looks when he's asleep makes him almost look like a sleeping angel. Something inside Angel tells her to go over there and lay by his side. Another part of her tells her to stop showing that she loves him.

Wait, love?

No, she can't love him. She hasn't even known him for a day. But she knows some kind of feelings are forming inside her. Feelings she's never felt before towards anyone. Every time he smiles at her or looks her way, her heart jumps. She has no idea why she feels this way, but she also sort of enjoys this feeling. Angel decides to make a move. She wasn't too comfortable sleeping with Fagin anyway. Angel leaps onto Dodger's bed, then snuggles close to him. She finally closes her eyes, but can't keep a smile off her face.

Of course, this causes Dodger to awaken. He looks down to see Angel sleeping by his side with a smile on her face. Dodger smiles immediately.

He whispers, "Good night, Angel."

Dodger's eyes slowly close. Finally, he falls asleep, with a smile on his face.


	6. Into The City

The next day, Fagin drives his dogs into the city on his scooter. Despite the fact that Fagin has so little time to gather the money for Sykes, he still has high spirits. Besides, he can't mope around. That will get him nowhere. Moping won't help save him and his dogs from Sykes' wrath. As the gang rides into the city, Fagin says, "We've got two days to do or die. Dodger, you keep an eye on the new kid. Show her the ropes."

Dodger smiles at Angel, only for her to nervously look away.

Fagin continues, "I don't wanna put any undue pressure on you, but as you march off to do your duty, I want you to keep one thing in mind."

As Fagin goes around a turn, Angel nearly falls out of the scooter. Dodger quickly grabs her shoulders and pulls her close to him to make sure she doesn't fall out. Angel is, at first, shocked, but quickly becomes grateful. She lays her head on Dodger's chest and smiles.

The scooter suddenly comes to a complete stop.

Fagin shouts, "Dead men do not buy dog food! So, big smiles and get out there and fetch!"

All the dogs jump out of the scooter and Fagin drives away.

Dodger says, "Alright, if Mr. Sykes don't see some cold, hard cash, we are Doberman chow. Come on. We'll start on Columbus Avenue."

Angel walks by his side.

"So, what do you do anyway?"

"Well, y'know how Fagin was talkin' about how he only has 3 days?"

"Yeah. What does he have 3 days to do?"

"He only has 3 days to give Sykes money he owes him, so we do the ol' man a favor by goin' out into the streets and gettin' him what we think will be worth somethin'."

"That's a nice thing to do. How do you get these _things_?"

"The only way we can, by stealin' it."

"Stealing?"

Dodger sighs.

"Look, we only do it to help Fagin out."

"So you actually don't like stealing?"

"We all don't like it, but we have to do it so we can survive."

"Oh, I didn't know."

Dodger gathers up the gang.

"Alright troops, we ain't gonna get the job done if we all stay together. We need to split up. Hmm, Tito and Francis, go left. Rita and Einstein, go right. Ang and I will keep goin' straight. Let's go!"

Everyone runs off in different directions. Now that they are alone, Dodger decides to strike up conversation with Angel about a new topic.

"So, you like me huh?"

Angel raises an eyebrow.

"Where'd you get that idea?"

"Gee, I don't know. How about you cuddlin' with me last night? Does that ring a bell?"

Angel nervously looks away.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Dodger smirks.

"Yeah you do. I know you did it."

"You must have been dreaming."

"Then why was I awake when it happened?"

"You have a wild imagination."

"Keep on denyin' the truth, but it won't get you anywhere. You just can't resist me."

Dodger winks, causing Angel to blush, but she immediately tries to hide it.

"I'm not denying anything. In fact, I wouldn't want to be in a relationship with you even if we were the last dogs on Earth!"

"Right, so that's why you're walkin' alone with me?"

"You're the one that paired us up. I bet you're the one that's love struck, not me."

"Pardon?"

"You're the one that paired us up. You're the one that keeps insisting that I cuddled with you last night. You're the one that said I look like an angel yesterday!"

Dodger pauses.

"She does have a point," Dodger thinks to himself.

Dodger looks up and sees a poster on a building.

It says, _"Please Help Find Our Missing Dog! Name: Angel/Fur Color: Cream/Eye Color: Purple/Reward: $100,000. Contact Us If You Have Information On Her Whereabouts."_

Dodger asks, "Is that you, Ang?"

"Oh no! Oh no, no, no, they can't be looking for me!"

"Whoa whoa! Calm down. Now tell me everything."

"Well, I was forced to be stuck in stupid little pet stores. I was always had to sit in a tiny cage with little food or water with people pointing and staring at me. I didn't want to be cooped up any longer, so I ran away. Now they wanna find me just so they can make money off of me. Dodger, I don't wanna go back there! I like being out here and I like being in your gang. Don't let them take me, please!"

"Angel, I swear on my life that you will not go back to that pet store. Hey look! It says if you can't be found in 2 days, the posters will be taken down. We just gotta keep you hidden."

"You-you really wanna help me?"

"Sure I do."

"But why?"

"Well…..er….you're….you're….we…we can't lose our 2nd girl in the gang, now can we?"

"Oh."

Dodger senses a bit of disappointment in her voice.

"Um, also, you're…..you're really…..really….cool."

"Really? I am?"

Dodger blushes and rubs the back of his neck.

"Yeah."

"Well, you're pretty cool too. Way cooler than me."

"Tell me somethin' I don't know."

Dodger freezes, realizing what he just said. He expects Angel to growl at him or even yell at him, but she does neither. Instead, she smirks and giggles.

"You need to get over yourself."

Dodger smirks.

"Oh do I now?"

Dodger walks closely by Angel's side and bumps her hip with his own. Angel smirks and does the same. The two continuously bump each other while smiling and laughing. This continues until a voice is heard yelling, "It's the missing dog from the pet store!"

The pair looks across the street to see a woman holding one of the posters with Angel's photo on them. The woman is staring directly at Angel.

Dodger shouts, "Angel! Run!"

Both Dodger and Angel run as the woman chases after them. The dogs manage to find an alley. They jump inside of a trash can and wait. Dodger peeks out of the can and sees the woman run past the alley. Just when he thinks the woman is far enough away, he gives the all clear. After both dogs jump out of the can, Angel can only stand and stare at Dodger.

He really saved her from being taken back to the pet store?

Angel lets out a smile and happily nuzzles Dodger.

"Thank you so much!"

Dodger is obviously surprised, but happy just the same. He smiles and nuzzles her in return. Just as Angel is enjoying the moment, she also begins to feel nervous. She steps away from Dodger, not even looking him in the eye.

"Um yeah, thanks again. I think we'd better keep looking."

Angel begins walking away while a love struck Dodger stays frozen in his place. It takes a few moments for Angel to realize Dodger isn't following her. She turns around to see Dodger smiling and blushing.

"Are you coming or what?"

Dodger asks, "What?"

Angel rolls her eyes.

"Quit standing there and come on!"

Dodger snaps out of his love struck trance and catches up with Angel. The gang meets up with them a few minutes later. All of them found nothing, so they decide to go home. The gang arrives home and Fagin could tell by their sad faces that they found nothing.

"At least you all tried. We'll have better luck tomorrow."

Fagin pats them all on the head then leaves to try and find something himself.


	7. A Night Out

After Fagin leaves, Angel walks out of the barge to sit on the deck. Dodger notices her leaving and follows her. After following her outside, Dodger clears his throat. Angel turns around, trying to fake a smile.

"Dodger, hey."

"Everything ok?"

"Oh sure. Yeah. Just getting some air."

"You sure nothin's on your mind?"

"Positive."

Dodger isn't convinced. He sits close to Angel.

"I can tell something is buggin' ya. Now spit it out."

"Ok, something is on my mind."

"What is it?"

Angel starts to get nervous.

"I….I….the pet store. Yes, that's it."

"You don't need to worry about them. If they even try to lay a hand on ya I'll rip em apart."

"Oh Dodger, that's so sweet….and violent."

"Well, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're not taken away. You're in the gang now and the gang means family. Family sticks together and I'm gonna stick with ya, even if ya don't want me to."

Angel smiles.

Dodger also smiles, and then says, "I got an idea. Let's ditch this joint for a while."

"Ok! Where do you wanna go?"

"It's a surprise."

The two giggle as they leave the barge. Dodger leads Angel through the city to wherever this place is he wants to take her to. Finally, they reach their destination.

Angel gasps.

"Central Park? I've always wanted to see this place!"

"Well, here we are!"

"So, what are gonna do here?"

"How about some of this?"

Dodger tugs Angel's ear and tackles her to the ground. Angel laughs as she tackles Dodger. The two spend most of their time tackling each other and rolling around in the grass. Both end up having a great time, laughing and playing together. It's now night time, the stars are twinkling in the sky and the lights in the city begin to glow. Dodger and Angel are lying side by side in the grass, staring at the stars.

Angel says, "Hey, those stars look like smiley face!"

"Look over here! These ones look like a hot dog!"

Both dogs giggle.

"Dodger, I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me. I really had a fun time with you tonight."

"I had a fun time too. We should try doing this more often."

Angel gets up from the grass and stretches. She notices Dodger smiling at her.

"What?"

"Man, you really do look like an angel, _Angel_."

Angel smirks.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"You need to get over yourself."

"Oh do I now?"

Dodger and Angel share a laugh, then suddenly find themselves nuzzling. Neither knows why they're nuzzling, but yet they still continue to do so. Angel smiles and lays her head on Dodger's shoulder. Dodger lays his head on top of hers, but suddenly steps away from her.

"Ang, we need to get back home. Fagin's probably worryin' about us."

Angel frowns.

"Right, yes, of course."

Luckily, Fagin isn't home when Dodger and Angel arrive. Everyone else in the gang is asleep. Dodger makes his way over to his bed, but turns around and approaches Angel. He quickly nuzzles her then smiles at her warmly.

"Good night."

Angel smiles.

"Good night."

Dodger lies in his bed and snuggles against his pillow. Angel looks around, not sure of where she should sleep.

Dodger lifts his head and smiles.

"Need a place to sleep?"

Angel smiles and nods her head. She leaps onto Dodger's bed and lies close to him. Dodger smiles, then nuzzles Angel.

"You can sleep here anytime ya want."

"Thanks. I like sleeping here….with you."

"I had a feeling that was the case. Well, sweet dreams."

Angel licks Dodger's cheek then snuggles close to him.

"Good night, Dodge."


	8. The Decision

The next day, Fagin gives his dogs a break from pit-pocketing. He decides to go out into the city on his own to try and steal stuff. While walking, he notices a poster. The picture on the poster looks like the newest member of his gang of dogs. The description also matches her perfectly.

This gives Fagin an idea.

Back at the barge, Dodger is sitting alone outside the barge. After his night out with Angel, he realized that he's in love with her. The problem is that he doesn't know how to tell her how he feels. Dodger never had feelings for a girl before. Angel is the first girl he ever felt in love with.

"Ok Dodge, ya just need to go up to her and tell her you love her. That ain't so hard. Just 3 little words. No problem."

Dodger starts to feel confident. He smiles and enters inside the barge. As soon as he sees Angel, his confidence vanishes. Before Dodger can even think of going back outside, Angel approaches him.

"There you are, Dodge."

Dodger nervously laughs, then gulps.

"Uh, Ang. Can I…uh….tell ya somethin'?"

"Sure. You can tell me anything."

"Great! Well, it's not long. In fact, I only need to tell ya three words."

"Just three words? What are they?"

"Ang, I….I…..I love….."

Before Dodger can even finish, Fagin bursts into the room.

He screams, "You guys! I got an idea! I just saw a poster that says a dog named Angel is missing. I think that our newest member in the gang is her. If we take her to Sykes, he'll take her to the pet store and get his money. It's full proof! Angel, I'll take you to him tonight."

Fagin runs outside.

Everyone's moods have dampened. The gang feels sorry for Angel, especially Dodger. Angel begins to panic.

"No! No I can't go back! I won't! I thought Fagin liked me?"

Dodger grabs her by the shoulders.

"I told ya I won't let ya go back. I'm gonna stick to my word. You will _not_ go back!"

Tito says, "Dodger, man, she has to."

"No she doesn't! There's gotta be another way."

Everyone becomes upset. The gang had become good friends with Angel and they don't want her to leave, but they also want to live in safety. If Sykes has his money then he can no longer threaten Fagin or the gang. They have no choice but to let Fagin take her to Sykes.


	9. Sykes

Night comes. Fagin takes Angel to Sykes' warehouse. Dodger goes inside with Fagin and Angel, while the rest of the gang waits outside.

Angel whispers, "What are we gonna do?"

Dodger replies, "I don't know, but I'm still stickin' to my word."

The dogs and Fagin enter Sykes' office.

Sykes smiles and says, "Ah Fagin, do come in, I'll be right with you."

Dodger tells Angel to stay close to him as they enter. He keeps his eyes on Roscoe and DeSoto.

"So Fagin. Did we bring something green and wrinkly to make me happy?"

Fagin's face is written in fear.

"Sykes, got an airtight d-dog...plan...plan! It's sweet and simple...the plan."

Angel looks on in horror as Roscoe and DeSoto approach her, Dodger, and Fagin. Dodger stands protectively in front of them.

"You don't got the money."

Sykes snaps his fingers and the two Doberman dogs attack Fagin. Dodger attacks Roscoe as Angel attacks DeSoto.

"Stop! Please, Sykes, please! Sykes, I have a dog with me that's missing! If you take her to the pet store they'll give you a hundred grand! Please!"

Sykes snaps his fingers.

Dodger falls onto the ground and whimpers. Angel gasps and runs to his side. Fagin takes Dodger into his arms and pets him gently. Angel nuzzles herself against Dodger, hoping he'll be ok.

Sykes says, "Hey, I think there's hope for you yet. I'm proud of ya, Fagin. Yeah, you're startin' to think big. Take her back to your place and clean her up. I want her back in 12 hours."

Fagin walks outside carrying Dodger in his arms. He places him on the ground and Dodger limps towards the gang.

Rita says, "Oh Dodge."

"Hey Rita. They never laid a paw on me."

Angel arrives and sits by Dodger, looking concerned.

"Are you ok, Dodger?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm ok. Are _you_ ok? I saw ya fightin' DeSoto."

"I'm alright. I'm just glad to see you're ok."

Dodger and Angel share a gaze.

Moments later, Fagin and his dogs begin to walk home. It doesn't take long until Fagin stops his dogs.

"I don't think I can do this. I can see you all love Angel. We're goin' to hide somewhere. I won't let Sykes take her."

All the dogs in the gang wag their tails. Dodger and Angel happily nuzzle each other. Suddenly, a car screech is heard. A black car stops by the dogs. Sykes comes out and throws Angel into his car.

Fagin screams, "No wait! You can't do that!"

"Don't come back to get her, and you can consider our account closed!"

Sykes drives away.

Dodger growls in anger and chases after the car while the rest of the gang follows.


	10. The Escape

When Dodger arrives with the gang at Sykes' warehouse, they all try and find a way to get in. He looks up at a window.

"I got an idea! Tito, we need to catapult ya through the window then you can open that little window over there so we can get in."

The gang makes a lever. Francis climbs onto a bunch of stacked boxes while Tito climbs into a football helmet. Francis jumps onto one side of the lever, causing Tito to break through the window. The sound of the breaking window causes Sykes to make Roscoe and DeSoto scout the place. Tito opens the little window from the inside and everyone manages to get in.

To get Sykes out of his office, Tito and Francis dress up as a pizza man while sitting on a computer chair to make them appear tall. Einstein pushes the chair to Sykes' office door. Tito knocks and holds up and empty box of pizza. Sykes takes out his gun.

"I didn't order any pizza."

Einstein immediately pushes Tito and Francis away. Dodger runs into Sykes' office the moment Sykes is out of sight. He spots Angel curled up on the floor.

"**ANGEL**!"

Angel raises her head to see Dodger standing in the doorway. She immediately smiles.

"**DODGER**!"

The two run to each other and nuzzle.

"How did you get in here?"

"Long story. We gotta get outta here."

"You don't know how happy I am to see you right now."

"I'm really happy to see you too, Ang."

The two share a smile.

"I knew you'd come for me."

"I wasn't gonna let him take ya from me…I mean us.

Dodger rubs the back of his neck nervously while Angel smiles at him.

Tito, Francis, and Einstein end up running into Roscoe and DeSoto.

Francis nervously laughs.

"Um...gentlemen?"

Roscoe says, "What's the occasion? Come to rescue your little friend?"

DeSoto adds, "Say goodbye, Francis!"

"Oh boys!"

The Doberman dogs look up and see Rita pulling a rope. A giant cover lands on both Roscoe and DeSoto.

"Whoopsy-daisy!"

Tito says, "Good job Rita!"

The rest of the gang runs to Sykes' office. Dodger locks the door while Francis goes over to Sykes' monitors to make sure Sykes isn't coming.

Dodger says, "Ok we gotta think of a way outta here, fast!"

Angel looks around her to try to come up with an idea.

"I got it! We'll all sit on that chair then we'll attach that hook up there to the chair and it will lift us out of here!"

Dodger and the others are impressed with Angel's plan. Tito goes to work on the wiring for the crane. Dodger goes to check on Francis.

"Is the coast clear Francis? Francis!"

Francis is busy watching a ballet show. Dodger switches the channel and sees Sykes walking to the office with his dogs. Tito just gets the wires hooked up for the crane. Einstein attaches the hook to the chair and everyone gets on. Just when Sykes breaks in, the chair is lifted into the air. Sykes chops the wires with an ax, causing the chair to fall. Everyone falls onto a slide and slides down to the bottom. Sykes is waiting at the bottom along with Roscoe and DeSoto.

Sykes chuckles.

"This has all been very entertaining. But the party is over."


	11. The Chase

Just before Sykes can signal his dogs to injure the gang, Fagin breaks through a window with his scooter. All of his dogs hop in and they ride away. Not too long after, Sykes is seen driving after them. Fagin drives his scooter into a subway station. Just after a subway train drives by, Fagin drives his scooter onto the track and into the tunnel, going the opposite way the train is going.

Sykes also drives onto the tracks. He manages to speed up behind Fagin and bumps his scooter. Angel flies out of the scooter and falls onto the hood of his car. Sykes grabs her and throws her into the backseat. Roscoe and DeSoto are also in the back of the car. The two growl at her and are about to attack her.

Dodger angrily jumps out of the scooter and leaps through the open roof of Sykes' car. He attacks Roscoe and both break through the back window. Roscoe holds Dodger's bandana with his teeth so he can't fall off. The bandana snaps. Roscoe falls off the car and onto the electric tracks, killing him instantly. DeSoto becomes enraged. He jumps onto Dodger, and tries to choke him with his paw. Angel jumps onto DeSoto's head, which causes him to become distracted. DeSoto falls off the car and dies. Just before Angel can fall off too, Dodger grabs her tail with his teeth and backs away onto the roof of the car with her.

The tracks now lead outside of the tunnel and onto a bridge. Dodger and Angel attack Sykes to try and slow him down. Sykes throws the two dogs off of him and onto the side of the tracks. Just when he turns around, an oncoming train hits him, killing him instantly.

Luckily, Fagin is able to drive his scooter off the tracks, so he and the gang are unharmed.


	12. Love Conquers All

Down on the side of the tracks, Dodger wakes up from being unconscious. It takes him a few moments to process what just happened. Suddenly, he remembers Angel.

"Ang? Angel, where are you? Angel wh..."

Dodger sees her lying on the ground. He runs over to her.

"Angel, wake up!"

Angel is unresponsive.

"Ang?"

Dodger nudges her with his nose, but she's still unresponsive. He shakes his head and closes his eyes tight, trying to stop any tears from coming out.

"No... **NO!** This ain't happenin'! **NO!**"

Dodger, of course, is heartbroken. He's convinced that the only girl her ever had true feelings for is dead. Tears start to roll down his face.

"I love you, Angel."

The heartbroken dog buries his face in his paws and cries. He never felt this amount of pain in his life. Angel is gone. The others could be gone too, since they're nowhere to be seen. Dodger pretty much feels like he has no one in his life anymore.

Suddenly, Angel's eyes open. She begins to move.

"Ugh, where am I?"

Dodger immediately stops crying and smiles.

"**ANGEL**! You're ok!"

Dodger runs over to Angel, hugging her tightly.

"Dodger? What happened?"

"I don't know, but I seriously just thought you were dead. I need to say somethin' right now."

Angel's eyes widen in anticipation.

"Yes?"

"Angel, I..."

Dodger strokes his paw across Angel's cheek.

"I love you."

Angel gasps then smiles.

"Really? You really do?"

"I know this is weird because I've only known ya for a short time but..."

"Dodger, shut up and kiss me."

"Hey, fine by me."

The two slowly lean in for a kiss. Fagin and the gang run towards Angel and Dodger. The couple's lips nearly touch when they hear Tito say, "Dodger! Angel! You're alive!"

Dodger says, "Tito! You're all ok!"

Fagin hugs Dodger and Angel then takes his dogs home.

The next day, everyone is cheerful. Sykes is gone for good. Plus, the people of the pet store took down Angel's posters so they are no longer looking for her. Angel is free to be with her new friends, and her new boyfriend. Out on the streets of New York City, Dodger and Angel are walking together.

"Boy, I am really glad he's gone."

"Me too. I'm also glad the pet store posters are gone. They finally stopped looking for me. Now I can be free!"

Angel jumps in the air and twirls.

Dodger chuckles.

"Told ya I wouldn't let ya go back."

"Now I know you're good with promises."

Angel gives Dodger a kiss on the cheek.

"Angel, I was really upset when I saw ya layin' there, not movin'. I thought you were a goner."

"I felt the same when you got hurt after fighting Roscoe, but Dodger, you were so brave. I saw you leap onto the car when I got thrown in the backseat. Then, you saved my life by grabbing my tail. I would've gotten electrocuted if it weren't for you. You're my hero."

"Well you're worth savin'. Y'know, we never got to have our first kiss."

Angel smirks.

"Well, what are we waitin' for?"

The two smile then lean in. They finally have their first kiss. Afterwards, both Dodger and Angel gaze into each other's eyes. Angel gives Dodger a quick kiss on the lips and runs ahead of him, laughing. The two run and laugh together through the city.


End file.
